Cork City keep first clean sheet of the season in goalless draw with out-of-form Pat's

The 42

11 hours ago

Cork City 0
St Patrick's Athletic 0
THIS CLASH OF the out-of-form yielded little to lift any gloom.
Cork City kept their first clean sheet of the season but Sligo's point at Bohemians means they made up no ground at the bottom of the league, though their team's earnest toil eventually distracted hardcore supporters from their mutiny against the club's owner.
Pat's, meanwhile, show no sign of being snapped from their indolence: they have the dishonour of being the first team to fail to score against Cork City this season, and have now won one of their last eight games. The Pat's players trooped to their restive fans at the end of the game and were given little encouragement. This football business: nobody's happy.
This was a clash of two dispirited teams. Pat's had lost their three previous games to bring attention to a run of just three wins in 14 games, since an April victory at Turner's Cross. City, meanwhile, were winless in 10 matches – half of them under Ger Nash – and had slumped to the bottom of the league.
Much of the first half was more notable for the sour churn from the Shed End. City fans protested the ownership of Dermot Usher during Monday's draw against Drogheda and they cranked up their discontent midway through the half, unfurling a couple of banners aimed at Usher and again chanting 'twenty-five euro, you're having a laugh', in reference to single admission ticket prices.
These were accompanied by thick black plumes of flare smoke, and a few tossed toilet rolls, a classic emblem of fan protest that have a specific resonance with this situation. At one point Djenairo Daniels was warming up nearby and threw the rolls off the pitch, remonstrating angrily with a couple of irate City fans.
To describe this as a distraction from the on-field action would be too great a compliment to pay to said action. City started with zeal and followed their manager's instructions to push high on Pat's restarts, but Pat's soon fell into an easy dominance without really having to do much to earn it.
Pat's were their classic 4-3-3 selves, but too often sterlie, with their wingers largely shackled and Brandon Kavanagh and Barry Baggley lacking penetration on the edge of the City box. Elbouzedi did at one point get some separation, cutting inside to send a low shot whistling by Tein Troost's right-hand post. Jake Mulraney's benching is a symbol of Pat's baffling torpor these days, but he was sprung into action shortly after, replacing the injured Simon Power.
He made an instant impact, sending in a low cross that Elbouzedi got caught under his feet when he should have steered it in at the near post.
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City, though, wasted the best chance of the half. In another episode of Pat's sleepy attitude, Brandon Kavanagh was robbed of the ball when he dropped deep to collect a throw-in, and Sean Maguire squared the ball in the six-yard area to Kitt Nelson, who slung a left-footed shot over the bar from just in front of the penalty spot. The home groans quickly gave way to rousing shouts, and for all the mid-game toxicity, City were roared from the field.
City grew emboldened after the break; Pat's, with the exception of Mulraney, got worse. They continued to knock around bloodlessly until someone would sloppily give it away, while Melia continued to struggle, his attempts to drop and link play undone by errant touches.
Joseph Anang, meanwhile, remained scrambled in his own box, at one point coming for a cross and missing it by miles, but he was bailed out by a scrum of bodies in the box which prevented Maguire from. getting his shot off.
City introduced their own teenage superstar, Cathal O'Sullivan, along with Daniels and instantly sparked, though again struggled to fashion anything clear-cut. Pat's remained determined to lose possession in awful areas – Redmond was next to fall victim to the malaise, losing a simple challenge with Daniels – but City lacked the quality to capitalise on these moments, with Sean Hoare recovering to snuff out that particular danger.
Forrester made his introduction with 15 minutes to go but City merely went to a higher level, and delightful interchange between Maguire, O'Sullivan and Mbeng saw Sean Hoare haul Mbeng's jersey back by the right touchline in another exhibit of a distant mind.
Tein Troost, making what may be his final City appearance at the end of his loan deal, was forced into action late, acrobatically tipping Brandon Kavanagh's curling shot over the crossbar.
That was a rare involvement for Troost who, for all of Pat's possession early in the game, was thoroughly underworked, as was the case when a ball broke kindly for substitute Aidan Keena on the edge of the box but could only scuff his volley wide.
Mulraney provided Pat's little attacking impetus but he was forced into being defensively sharp in the final minute of stoppage time, heading away under pressure at his back post. Pat's cleared the corner, but they are now looking to Europe and the FAI Cup to save their season. City, for all their improvements under Nash, may find any such salvation beyond them.
Cork City: Tein Troost; Milan Mbeng; Freddie Anderson, Charlie Lyons, Darragh Crowley; Matthew Kiernan (Josh Fitzpatrick, 74′); Greg Bolger (Rio Shipston, 74′), Sean Murray (Evan McLaughlin, 64′); Kitt Nelson (Cathal O'Sullivan, 56′); Alex Nolan (Djenairo Daniels, 56′) Sean Maguire
St Patrick's Athletic: Joseph Anang; Axel Sjoberg, Sean Hoare, Joe Redmond, Jason McClelland; Jamie Lennon, Barry Baggley (Kian Leavy, 75′), Brandon Kavanagh; Zach Elbouzedi (Chris Forrester, 74′), Mason Melia (Aidan Keena, 66′), Simon Power (Jake Mulraney, 35′)
Referee: Marc Lynch
Attendance: 2276